Top 10 Stories Of 2010

5. Parko’s Nasty Foot Gauge And Subsequent Recovery

On July 9th, 2010 Joel Parkinson was surfing his homebreak of Snapper Rocks when he pulled into a barrel and was taken out by the foamball. As Joel said, “Straight away I felt the board hit me. I knew immediately it was a pretty serious cut. I didn’t want to look at it when I came in because I knew it wouldn’t be good.” Joel was helped up the beach to a waiting ambulance by good friend and three-time world champion Andy Irons who had been surfing with him. At the time of the injury Joel was sitting at 8th in the world.

After nearly three months of sitting on the couch, Parko finally surfed again for the first time in mid-October. He decided to forgo the next event, the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico, to prepare for the Hawaiian leg to cap off the year. Being the two-time defending Triple Crown champ Joel came out swinging in his first event back, the Reef Hawaiian Pro, snagging a perfect 10 and eventually the contest. Joel went on to defend his Triple Crown title and become the first three-time winner since Sunny Garcia. Not a shabby road back to the top.